A Song A Day in May: 80s Nuclear War Anxiety

The Music I listened to and loved in the 80s had an influence on me, it’s undeniable. Along with the books I read, the television shows and movies I watched, the people I met, they all helped shape create the foundation of who I am today. Would I be me today if I hadn’t seen “The Day After” at a young age and had a near-obsession level of paranoia over my skin getting peeled off in a nuclear blast? Who’s to say? Did the artists of the music I listen to and their speaking out on political and social matters shape me? Absolutely.

I stumbled across Stereogum‘s list of 80s songs about nuclear war and it was nostalgia on full volume for me. Their list included songs I may not have realized at the time were as political as they were, but now with adult eyes and 30+ years of hindsight, I am grateful that they are. I hope you enjoy some of them as much as I do.

The Call – “The Walls Came Down” (1983)
Another perfect pop song that strides along despite the weight of its subject. Throughout “The Walls Came Down,” Michael Been paints an image of the strained global state of the ’80s and an impending break. At the end, he throws it all into question: “I don’t think there are any Russians/ And there ain’t no Yanks/ Just corporate criminals/ Playin’ with tanks.”